''We're talking about a 21st century discipline in a 19th century academic environment,'' Thomas Bley said.
The university could not respond to a request for comment last night, but reissued a previous statement from sciences pro vice chancellor Prof Keith Hunter, saying it was ''inappropriate to comment in the media'' about the proposed closure of the design school while the university was consulting on it. Consultation is planned to finish today.
The proposal comes as part of a plan to shut the department of applied sciences, to which it belongs, and the creation of a new centre to house the department's other programmes, clothing and textile sciences and bioengineering.
Mr Bley resigned in 2010 in protest at a proposal to merge the design studies department into what would become the department of applied sciences.
He left to work as a consulting dean at German University in Cairo.
He said one problem with university management of its design programme was a problem across the country: an over emphasis on performance based research funding (PBRF).
PBRF is funding allocated by the Tertiary Education Commission based on academic research activity.
Mr Bley said judging design schools by PBRF ratings was inappropriate because of the lack of peer reviewed design journals.
Proposal documents, obtained by a design student via an official information request, cited an ''under emphasis on research'' - although not referencing PBRF specifically - as one reason for the proposed closure.
They also said the ''need to increase research activity to enhance research informed teaching; and a need to increase externally derived revenue'' was a central reason for the 2010 restructuring, along with a decline in equivalent full time students (Efts).
The documents further said the 2010 restructuring had been ''anticipated'' to increase Efts numbers, but had not.
The proposed closure of the department of applied sciences would save the sciences division $497,002, according to the papers.
Mr Bley said a severe decline in student numbers had followed the 2010 restructuring he resigned over, which caused a ''huge brain drain [of students and staff], and which had an effect on the quality of education, and probably also the research''.
He said the university was proposing to close the design school because management was ''risk averse and close minded'' in regards to design.
''It took years to build the [university] design studies programme,'' he said.
''By pulling out, all that development has gone down the drain.''
